Mormon College Objects to Skinny Jeans

Updated. The first time I read this, I thought it was parody: Independent Brigham Young University publication The Student Reviewreports that BYU-Idaho has banned skinny jeans as part of its honor code guidelines against "form-fitting clothing." Skinny jeans: trousers of the devil? Don't tell Mitt Romney.

"It's useful for us to realize that fashions will come and go. There will always be some tempting new style," University Vice President Henry J. Eyring explained in September. Fun fact: According to Wikipedia, Eyring is a member of Romney's extended family.

Anyway, I'm 95% sure that this Student Review article is not a joke, just a straightforward dispatch from the strange, sexless world of Mormon higher education. There's a 5% chance I just don't get Mormon humor, though. [BYU Student Review, image via Gap.com]

Thank you for your concern and interest. I hope my response satisfies your question, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

We have not identified "skinny jeans" as a specific violation of the dress and grooming standard. We are aware of the incident and the Student Honor Office is working with the Testing Center to address the issue.

The wording in the BYU-Idaho dress and grooming standard regarding formfitting clothing is as follows:
"Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, strapless, backless, or revealing. It should not have slits above the knee or be formfitting."

The foundation of this standard comes from "For the Strength of Youth" which states, "Immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire. Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner."

The Testing Center has not made any new standard, nor has there been a ban of a particular piece of clothing. The effort of the Testing Center as well as with other employees and students is to encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code.

Purely by chance, after sending my earlier message I listened to a 1973 Ricks College/BYU-Idaho devotional address by my father, Henry B. Eyring, in which he articulates our rationale for modesty in dress. If you click on the attached link, search for 1973 addresses, and scroll down to 28 August, you can get the audio recording of the talk. His remarks about dress and grooming appear about ¾ of the way through. I hope that you find them helpful.